﻿The daily expenditure of university students is very high these days. The price of a cup of coffee has reached almost 7,000 won and a meal to 8,000 won. Students tend to spend over 20,000 won a day on meals, coffee, transportation, entertainment, and snacks when they hang out outside all day. Like this sentence, “We can’t do anything without money”, University students' entertainment culture depends on money. However, is it really true that we can't have fun without money? In fact, there are many facilities we can enjoy even though we don’t have enough money. Have you ever imagined going on a Seoul picnic with only 10,000 won in your pocket? Maybe most of the students will scoff at you. In this 123rd edition of experience section, reporters will suggest the ways that university students can enjoy themselves with only 10,000won while going on a Seoul picnic.

1. Pack Your Lunch.

Expenditure on food for university students is a big burden taking up to 43% of their cost of living a month. Packing a lunch is one of the ways to reduce expenses. Many people may think a lunch box is inconvenient and inefficient, however, when you hang out with friends or companions, you can have a meal at a reasonable price. In addition, you can not only share warmth while eating but also eat healthy home-made food. The reporters of the Gachon Herald had a lunch together with home-made rice balls. We enjoyed plentiful food and reduced expenses by also preparing some fruit and juice. Baek, Sung-ha reporter said, "It is nice to experience that we could eat home-made food and cut down expenses by packing our own lunch. But I think carrying a heavy lunch pack is the only bad thing."

2. Visit Public Places.

University students usually go to Gangnam, Hongik University, and Myeongdong to have fun. However, these places are filled with a lot of stores and restaurants that lead students to unnecessary consumption. Even in a café, it is unavoidable to spend money because we should pay for the seat by purchasing a beverage. But if you visit public places, you can enjoy outdoor activities which can be enjoyed at a low price or for free. Parks and palaces which are free of charge are a couple of the most recommended places for college students. We reporters visited Han-river Park and enjoyed playing card games, walking, and riding bikes. One of our companions, Hwang, In-soo reporter, said, "I used to hang out indoors such as at cafes and restaurants. But through this experience, I felt like I went on a camp in warm sunlight"

3. Go to the cheapest stores as much as you can.

As inflation rates increase, many small shops are emerging that sell products at low prices. It means you can purchase products at a reasonable price if you do enough legwork. Many students don't feel the necessity of finding stores like that and just assume there are no big differences in price. However, we bought beverages at a convenience store instead of going to a cafe located at the park. As a result, we saved more than 3,000 won per person. Kim, Nayoung reporter and Lee, Hyunyoung reporter said, "It is a good experience that we can drink beverages that are as delicious as those in a cafe with only 1000 won"

On the one side, it was a fruitful experience to control our spending habits. On the other side, it was difficult because of our usual indiscreet spending habits. Through this experience, we could certainly feel that college students’ indiscriminate consumption habits are firmly fixed. According to research by Korean FP (Financial Planning) in 2014, Korean university students' level of financial management behavior fell short of the average score of 50. Although Korean university students have no stable income, they consume carelessly. Accustomed to this consumption, they don't realize the value of money. We need to rethink the worth of money that we spend unheedingly. The 10,000 won we so easily waste is equal to the money we earn after working for 2 hours at minimum wage. It is more than the daily wage of disabled employees: 8,000 won. It shows that 10,000 won is worthy enough and should not be wasted. Why don’t you think about whether you are spending wisely or not the next time you spend money?